Tuesday, April 28, 2009

'iCarly': Ruler of the tweens

By Denise Martin
April 28, 2009

Miley Cyrus' 'Hannah Montana' may get more attention, but the Nickelodeon show starring Miranda Cosgrove gets more young viewers.
Everyone knows who Hannah Montana is. But perhaps only kids know she's been unseated as TV's reigning tween queen by one Carly Shay.

When no one was looking, Carly, the plucky 15-year-old star of the Nickelodeon comedy “iCarly,” overtook Disney Channel's “Hannah Montana” -- and this year, "American Idol" -- in the ratings race for young audiences.

Miranda Cosgrove, who plays Carly, is still a name that draws quizzical looks while Miley Cyrus sells out Cineplexes and concert stadiums. Nor is Cosgrove the whirlwind of controversy that Cyrus has been. On Sunday, Cosgrove posted to her Twitter page: "Just finished 5 more hours of math. At least this afternoon was fun! My first real driving lesson!" -- a far cry from Cyrus' recent bio (dating a 20-year-old, a Jonas brother and posing provocatively for Vanity Fair.)

And yet, in its second season, "iCarly," which follows the misadventures of three friends who produce a Web show about, well, nothing in particular, has grown into TV's No. 1 series among kids (ages 2 to 11) and tweens (ages 9 to 14), drawing an average 5.6 total million viewers to new episodes.

So how did Carly do it? Unlike her scandal-attracting peers, she's got the Web working with her instead of against her.....

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